Blue Devils riding high into next task

Sunday

DURHAM — Duke seems well-equipped to handle quick turnarounds on the schedule and that will be necessary for Monday night’s game against visiting Syracuse.

It doesn’t hurt the that Blue Devils are coming off their thrilling 80-78 victory at No. 13 Florida State that included Cam Reddish’s last-second, game-winning 3-point shot.

And there’s a chance that freshman standout Zion Williamson will be back on the court after missing the second half of Saturday’s game with an eye injury.

This is a rematch of March’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game in the Midwest Region.

The busy schedule confronting Duke isn’t new for the Blue Devils, who played three days in a row in the Maui Invitational in November and then won two games across three nights last month prior to a Christmas break.

“That’s something this group has done before,” Duke center Marques Bolden said. “(That helps) set up well for the stretch we’re about to have in conference.”

Still, it’s an adjustment, Duke forward Javin DeLaurier said.

“That’s something that’s going to be different for a lot of our guys,” DeLaurier said. “We played in the Maui Invitational where we played some back-to-back games. But in terms of league play, and what a grind it is. It’s so different. … It’s really just telling the young guys the importance of recovery, treating your body right and making sure you’re fueled the right way because it’s a long conference season.”

Syracuse played on back-to-back days in November, losing to Connecticut and Oregon in a tournament in New York.

Duke’s nine-game winning streak hasn’t included many close encounters, but the Florida State game was an exception.

“I know we feel very fortunate to win,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I think we earned it and if they would’ve won, they would’ve earned it. So, it’s not a game that somebody lost, it’s a game that somebody won. Those are the great games.”

Duke played the second half minus Williamson, the powerful forward who was poked in the eye late in the first half after racking up 11 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes.

Shortly after Saturday’s game, Krzyzewski told reporters there had been improvement for Williamson, who experienced double vision. He said it’s hopeful Williamson will play Monday night.

Syracuse had an extremely different experience during the weekend. A few hours after the Duke game, the Orange suffered a 73-59 home loss to Georgia Tech.

Like Duke, Syracuse is 2-0 in true road games. The Orange won at Ohio State and Notre Dame.

When Duke and Syracuse met in the NCAA Tournament in March in Omaha, Neb., Duke advanced with its second victory of the season against the Orange.

This is the earliest in a season that the teams are slated to play since Syracuse joined the ACC. They’ll also meet Feb. 23 at Syracuse.